Device for codispensing two materials

ABSTRACT

A device for codispensing two materials including a selfcontained inner container having a valve means provided with a reciprocating valve stem and an outer container having a valve means including a reciprocating valve stem, said valve stems being disposed in alignment by a novel connector connected to both containers and also said stems having discharge and dispensing ports thereon for controlling the discharge of material from each container and the dispensing of the two materials from the device in response to inward movement of the valve stem on the outer container cooperating with the valve stem on the inner container. The two containers can be filled with material and/or subsequently charged with a propellent simultaneously through the valve stem. Also, safety means are provided to prevent bursting of the outer container should the material become inadvertently mixed.

limit Meshber [4 1 Jan. 25, 1972 Philip Meshberg, l5 Stoneleigh Road,Fairfield, Conn. 06430 [22] Filed: Sept. 3, I970 [21] Appl.No.: 69,314

[72] Inventor:

Prussin et a1 ..222/94 Prussin et a1 ..222/135 Primary Examiner-RobertB. Reeves Assistant Examiner-John P. Shannon, Jr. Att0rney-Johnson &Kline [57] ABSTRACT A device for codispensing two materials including aself-contained inner container having a valve means provided with areciprocating valve stem and an outer container having a valve meansincluding a reciprocating valve stem, said valve stems being disposed inalignment by a novel connector connected to both containers and alsosaid stems having discharge and dispensing ports thereon for controllingthe discharge of material from each container and the dispensing of thetwo materials from the device in response to inward movement of thevalve stem on the outer container cooperating with the valve stem on theinner container. The two containers can be filled with material and/orsubsequently charged with a propellent simultaneously through the valvestem. Also, safety means are provided to prevent bursting of the outercontainer should the material become inadvertently mixed.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures DEVICE FUR CUDISPENSING TWO MATEWALSHeretofore, as shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,489 a single valve devicewas used to control the discharge of the material from a plurality ofcompartments of codispense said materials. While this operated well, itpresented problems at times of controlling the discharge from each ofthe compartments or containers and in the ease of assembly.

The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a pair ofseparate valve devices adapted to be mounted one on each container, withthe valve devices adapted to be connected in tandem by a uniqueconnector. Each valve device has a reciprocating valve stem which are inalignment and said stems have a discharge port for each container and adispensing port, the size and location of said ports on said stemseffectively controlling the codispensed material.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the innercontainer can be filled and/or charged with a propellent and the valvesealed thereto so as to form a self-contained unit which can be testedand if satisfactory, can be stored until required for assembly into acodispensing unit.

Another feature of the invention resides in the presence of a novelsafety means in the outer container to automatically vent the containerand prevent bursting thereof under excess pressure.

A still further feature of the invention is the novel construction whichsimplifies the assembly and method of filling the dual containers asrequired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thespecification and claims when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a view, partly in section, of a codispensing package.

FIG. 2 is a detail sectional view showing the separate valve means innondispensing position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the valve means in dispensingposition.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4l of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 for codispensing metered charges.

FIG. 6 shows the valves of FIG. 5 in discharge position.

FIG. 7 shows the valves of FIG. 5 is filling position.

As shown in the drawings, the device of the present invention includesan inner container 10 which is disposed within an outer or mastercontainer Ill. Both containers contain material under pressure to becodispensed through a novel valving combination connected by a uniqueconnector.

The inner container 10 is a self-contained unit which can be prefilledwith a quantity of material M and sealed by a valve means 12 whichcontrols the discharge of the material from the container. The unit canbe prepared and pretested for leakage and the like and can be storedbefore it is assembled into the codispensing device. This is asubstantial advantage in the preparation of such a codispensing device.

The valve means I2 is secured by a mounting cup 12a crimped to the neck10a of the container and has a reciprocating stem 13 passing through asealing washer M and having an end 15 of the stem projecting from theend of the container. The projecting end portion 15 of the stem has alongitudinal passage 16 communicating with a discharge port 17 for thematerial M of the inner container, which port is normally sealed by thewasher M as shown in FIG. 2. The stem 13 is yieldably held in projectedposition by a spring 18.

In assembling the codispensing device, the inner unit it) which may beprepared and pretested, is readily inserted into the outer containerthrough the top opening 119 of the outer container 11 which is closed bya separate dispensing valve 20 having a housing 211 and a mounting cup22 crimped to the edge of the opening as shown at 23.

The inner container is secured in place by a unique molded thermoplasticconnector 24 having its inner end 25 shaped to be connected to andsealingly grip the upper end of the inner container. The outer end 26 ofthe connector has a central bore 27 to receive and sealingly engage thehousing 21 of the dispensing valve 20 to be secured thereto. The valvehousing has a dispensing chamber 28 and a reciprocating stem 29 thereinnormally urged to projecting, position, as shown in FIG. 2, by a spring30.

The connector 241 has a sealing washer 31 adjacent the inner end of thehousing having a central aperture 31a to receive the projecting end ofthe valve stem lflito maintain it in alignment with the valve stem 29.The connector has a chamber 32 to receive material M under pressure fromthe outer container through a dip tube 33 and a passage 34. The chambercommunicates with a discharge passage 35 normally sealed off by thevalve stem 13 as shown in FIG. 2. The valve stem 13 has a seconddischarge port 36 communicating with the longitudinal passage 116 withthe port normally sealed off by the washer 31, as shown in FIG. 2, andwhich port connects the chamber 32 to the longitudinal passage 16 in thevalve stem 13 when the stem is moved to the dispensing position of FIG.3.

The valve stem 29 on its inner end has passages 37 commu nicating withthe passage 16 in the valve stem ES and extending to the dispensingchamber 28 in the housing 21. The stem 29 has at its upper end alongitudinally extending passage 38 communicating with the usualdispensing passages 39, 40 in the dispensing button 41 secured to theprojecting end of the valve stem 29. The stem 29 has a dispensing port42 communicating with the longitudinally extending passage 38, whichport is normally sealed by a washer 43 at the end of the dispensingchamber 28 as shown in FIG 2. The stem moves inwardly and the port ismoved into the dispensing chamber.

When pressure is applied to the button 41 in the direction of the arrowA in FIG. 1, the two stems will be moved inwardly against the action ofthe springs 18 and 30 to the position of FIG. 3 in which the twodischarge ports 17 and 36 are in communication with the material M, M ofthe two containers and the dispensing port 42 is in communication withthe dispensing chamber 28 to dispense material fed thereto through thedischarge ports.

By the use of two separate valve means, the accurate control of thecodispensing of the two materials can be achieved through the spacingbetween the ports 17, 36 and 42 along the stems. Preferably, the inwardmovement of the stem 29 causes the dispensing port 42 to be moved intothe dispensing chamber to connect the chamber 28 to atmosphere throughthe passages 39, 40 in the button. Continued movement of the stem 29will move the stems inwardly and cause the discharge ports 17, 36 tobecome operative to discharge material from the two containers throughthe passage 16 to the passage 37 to the dispensing chamber anddispensing passages. By selecting the size and location of the ports 17and 36, the discharge of the materials from the two ports can beaccurately controlled with as to quantity and time to insure a. propermixture of the two materials being dispensed. For example, the materialin the outer container can be a dye or a resin and material in the innercontainer can be a developer for the dye or an accelerator or a settingagent for the resin. If desired, the port 17 can be made to openslightly in advance of the port 36 to insure that the accelerator willbe in the mixture as dispensed. Also, port 17 will close slightly laterthan pont 36 to purge any resin from the dispensing chamber andpassages.

If desired, a safety device can be provided on the outer container torelieve any excess pressure therein should the material in the innercontainer inadvertently pass into the outer container and react with thematerial therein as might generate a relatively high bursting pressurein the outer container. As shown in FIG. 2, the safety device comprisesan upwardly facing socket 50 on the connector 24 carrying a plug 51pressed by a spring 52 into a relief aperture 53 in the mounting cup 22.The bottom of the plug is connected to a flexible diaphragm 54 whichoverlies the socket in such a way that excess pressure in the can willact on the diaphragm to overcome the spring and withdraw the plug fromthe aperture to vent the container of said excess pressure.

Under some circumstances it may be desired to codispense meteredquantities of two materials. In "this case the structure of FIG. 5 wouldbe used. This Figure shows the device in nondispensing position andincludes an inner container 110 having one material M therein which isclosed by a metered valve 112 of the type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No.2,968,427 to which reference is made. This valve has a valve stem 113which slides in a measuring chamber and functions to isolate apredetermined quantity of the material of the inner container and todischarge the material in response to the inward movement of the valvestem. The stem has a projecting portion 115 having a port 117.

The inner container is connected by a connector 124 to the dispensingvalve 120 which is mounted in the outer container 111 having material Mtherein. The valve has a valve stem 129 in line with a projecting valvestem 115 of the inner container in a manner substantially as disclosedin connection with FIG. 2 above with the connector being in tightfriction fit to the neck 110a of the inner container and having a boreto receive the valve housing 121 of the dispensing valve. In this formof the invention, however, the connector has a chamber 132 connected todip tube 133 and to passage 135 communicating with the interior of theouter container. The passage 135 is controlled by the valve stem 113 ofthe inner valve which controls the flow to the metering chamber formedby the passages 135a, l35b and the chamber 1350 in the dispensing valvein its normal position as shown in FIG. 5. The metering chamber of theinner valve is filled with the material M, of the inner container whilethe material of the outer container l 11 feeds through the passage 135to the port 117 in the inner stem through the passage 116 in the innerstem to the passage 136 in the dispensing valve stem and into thechamber of the dispensing valve through port 136a so that apredetermined quantity of the material M will be in the passage andchamber of the connector.

When the dispensing button 141 is pressed inwardly in the direction ofarrow A, it moves both stems inwardly causing the port 117 to seal offthe passage 135 in the connector and at the same time the metering valveof the inner container closes off the supply of material as shown inFIG. 6. Continued movement inwardly of the stem causes the port 117 toenter the metering chamber of the inner container and cause the materialtherefrom to flow through port 117, longitudinal passage 116 to theupper stern and mix with the material in the chamber in the dispensingvalve. Care should be taken that the pressures in the inner chamber andouter chamber are so related that there is a substantial mixture of thematerials at this time. Continued movement of the stem inwardly movesport 142 into the chamber 1350 of the dispensing valve whereupon themixture of the two materials is dispensed, thereby dispensing apredetermined quantity through said passages and the port 142 in theprojecting stem and passages 139, 140 in the button 141.

When the valve is released, it returns to its normal position and thetwo metering chambers are again filled with material for the nextoperation.

The present invention provides a method of producing and/or filling acodispensing container. According to he present invention the innercontainer can be filled with material and/or propellent and sealed by adischarge valve for controlling the discharge of material therefrom. Thesealed inner container can be tested for leakage or defective parts andthose passing the tests can be stored for subsequent use. When it isdesired to form a codispensing unit, the inner container is connected toa plastic connector and a separate dispensing valve is connected to theconnector with the valve stem for the inner container and the dispensingvalve in alignment and a passage in the connector communicating with theinterior of the outer container and cooperating with a second dischargeport on the valve stem.

The valves are moved to filling position as shown in FIG. 7 by asuitable filling nozzle (not shown) applied to the end of stem 129. Inthis position the bypasses B,, B and B on the stem bypass the seals S Sand S and provide the filling path to the two containers. If the innerand outer containers have only material to be dispensed, both can becharged with propellent when in assembled relation. If, as preferred,the inner container has material to be dispensed and propellent underpressure, the outer container can be charged with propellent with thepressure in the inner container causing the propellent to be directedthrough the passages to the outer container. Under other circumstancesthe material can be inserted in both containers and they can besimultaneously filled with propellent. The construction of thepresentinvention lends itself to a number of methods of filling thecontainers including the testing and storage of the inner container asmay be desired.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claimsand portions of the improvements may be used without others.

lclaim:

l. A dual dispensing device comprising an inner container having a firstvalve means provided with a reciprocating valve stem projectingtherefrom and having means for discharging material under pressure fromsaid inner container; an outer container having material under pressuretherein and a second valve means including a valve housing having asecond reciprocating stem projecting therefrom; and a connectormechanically connecting both said valve means with the stems inalignment, said connector being in communication with the outercontainer and said stems having passages communicating with a dispensingport in the second stem and a pair of discharge ports, one for thematerial in each container, said ports being so located with respect tothe stems that upon inward movement of said stems from a normalnondispensing position by pressure applied to the stem of the secondvalve means the dispensing port and the two discharge ports are openedto connect the two containers to said passages and to the dispensingport to dispense material from both containers.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the connector has a skirt'at one end to be snapped into sealing relation with the end of saidinner container and has a bore to receive and hold said valve housing.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the spacing between saiddischarge ports in the direction of movement of said stems controls thetiming of the discharge of each of said materials during a dispensingoperation.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein means is provided to sealboth of said discharge ports when said stems are in said projectingnondispensing position.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a dip tubehaving one end extending into the outer container and the other endcommunicating with a chamber formed within said connector, said chamberhaving a passage to cooperate with one of said discharge ports.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the valve housing issecured by a mounting cup to said outer container, said mounting cuphaving a vent aperture closed by a plug normally spring urged outwardlyto a sealing position, said plug having a diaphragm exposed to theinterior of the outer container whereby excess pressure in said outercontainer acting on the diaphragm withdraws the plug and relieves thepressure and prevents bursting of said outer container.

7. A dual dispensing device for codispensing a mixture of meteredcharges of material comprising an inner container having a first meteredvalve means provided with a reciprocating valve stem projectingtherefrom and having means for discharging a predetermined charge ofmaterial under pressure from said inner container; an outer containerhaving material under pressure therein and a second valve meansincluding a valve housing having a second reciprocating stem projectingtherefrom; and a connector mechanically connecting both said valve meanswith the stems in alignment, said connector having metering means forsaid second material, said stems having passages communicating with amixing chamber in said connector and dispensing port in the second stem,initial inward movement of said stems form a normal nondispensingposition by pressure applied to the stem of the second valve meanscausing the metering means to be sealed having a mounting cup to mountthe valve, connector and associated elements in the outer container anda valve stem aligned and cooperating with said valve stem on the innercontainer, and passages in the connector communicating with the materialin said outer container and controlled by the actuation of said valvestems to dispense a predetermined quantity of material from eachcontainer.

UNETE STATES PATENT ()FFECE cERrrrioAr-E or icohmtriow Patent No. 37:Dated January 5, 97

Inventor(s) Philip Meshberg It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

olumn 1, line t "of" (last occurrence) should read --and--;

line M1 "is" should read --in--;

Column 2, line 51 "with" should read --both--;

Column 3, line 73 "stem should read --stems--;

Column linev 25 "the" should read --said-=;

line 73 "form" should read --from--.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of August 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents

1. A dual dispensing device comprising an inner container having a firstvalve means provided with a reciprocating valve stem projectingtherefrom and having means for discharging material under pressure fromsaid inner container; an outer container having material under pressuretherein and a second valve means including a valve housing having asecond reciprocating stem projecting therefrom; and a connectormechanically connecting both said valve means with the stems inalignment, said connector being in communication with the outercontainer and said stems having passages communicating with a dispensingport in the second stem and a pair of discharge ports, one for thematerial in each container, said ports being so located with respect tothe stems that upon inward movement of said stems from a normalnondispensing position by pressure applied to the stem of the secondvalve means the dispensing port and the two discharge ports are openedto connect the two containers to said passages and to the dispensingport to dispense material from both containers.
 2. The invention asdefined in claim 1 wherein the connector has a skirt at one end to besnapped into sealing relation with the end of said inner container andhas a bore to receive and hold said valve housing.
 3. The invention asdefined in claim 1 wherein the spacing between said discharge ports inthe direction of movement of said stems controls the timing of thedischarge of each of said materials during a dispensing operation. 4.The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein means is provided to sealboth of said discharge ports when said stems are in said projectingnondispensing position.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 1 whereinthere is a dip tube having one end extending into the outer containerand the other end communicating with a chamber formed within saidconnector, said chamber having a passage to cooperate with one of saiddischarge ports.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein thevalve housing is secured by a mounting cup to said outer container, saidmounting cup having a vent aperture closed by a plug normally springurged outwardly to a sealing position, said plug having a diaphragmexposed to the interior of the outer container whereby excess pressurein said outer container acting on the diaphragm withdraws the plug andrelieves the pressure and prevents bursting of said outer container. 7.A dual dispensing device for codispensing a mixture of metered chargesof material comprising an inner container having a first metered valvemeans provided with a reciprocating valve stem projecting therefrom andhaving means for discharging a predetermined charge of material underpressure from said inner container; an outer container having materialunder pressure therein and a second valve means including a valvehousing having a second reciprocating stem projecting therefrom; and aconnector mechanically connecting both said valve means with the stemsin alignment, said connector having metering means for said secondmaterial, said stems having passages communicating with a mixing chamberin said connector and dispensing port in the second stem, initial inwardmovement of said stems form a normal nondispensing position by pressureapplied to the stem of the second valve means causing the metering meansto be sealed from the containers and a mixing of the two materials, andfurther movement of the stems moving the dispensing port to dispense themixed materials.
 8. A connector for use in a codispensing aerosolpackage having an inner and outer container of material to be dispensed,comprising an elongate body having means at the inner end to grip theinner container and a bore to receive a valve stem on the innercontainer, said connector having a socket for receiving a dispensingvalve, said dispensing valve having a mounting cup to mount the valve,connector and associated elements in the outer container and a valvestem aligned and cooperating with said valve stem on the innercontainer, and passages in the connector communicating with the materialin said outer container and controlled by the actuation of said valvestems to dispense a predetermined quantity of material from eachcontainer.